Honesty
by Light1
Summary: During Blood Omen Two: The Serefan Keep, Kain starts to suspect Vorador is lying to him.


**Honesty**

Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Edios and Crystal Dynamics, not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Vorador . . . then he'd be mine.

Rating: PG-13

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Kain suspected that Vorador was lying to him.

When he first met Vorador he hadn't trusted him completely but over time he had formed a grudging respect for the older vampire. Vorador was many things, decadent, indulgent, foolish, and arrogant just to name a few. But he had a quality Kain valued; he was honest. He didn't hide or deny his opinions, he was open about his love or lack thereof for certain members of his 'family' and he never, not once pretended to be Kain's friend.

Kain had appreciated that he liked to know where he stood with people. Having grown up in Court he'd grown used to with those lower than him pretending to love him and those above him pretending to like him while both simultaneously tried to either unseat him or murder him. Because of this, it was not surprising that he disliked sycophants, those who claimed to love you but would stab you in the back the moment it was helpful for them to do so. Vorador was no sycophant, that was for sure.

Kain could remember when he had 'officially' moved into the mansion, he'd been staying on and off for months before he made it his permanent residence. Vorador had allowed him to dwell, but not once had he pretended to be overjoyed, or even pleased. Instead, he had been very open about the fact that he was only allowing this only because Kain was unusually overpowered for his age and Vorador wanted to monitor him. He was an ally, but a grudging one. He disliked Kain, even feared him, but he knew an opportunity when he saw one and Kain was an excellent opportunity for the vampires to claw back some power.

They had played at 'nice' while he lived in the mansion; giving each other false curtsey and then calling the other out on it. It became something of a game between them. Kain had enjoyed it, and he suspected Vorador did. Throwing masked barbs at each other, all the while pretending to appreciate the 'courtesy' of the other. It was an amusing parody of his life at Court. It almost made him nostalgic.

The first time he'd seen Vorador laugh had been because of their game. Kain had returned to the mansion with spoils, gems from the Oracle caves, he'd meant the jewels to be something like rent for allowing him to stay unmolested in the mansion, something to keep Vorador sweet and remind him it was helpful to have him around. On his return from the caves Kain had barged into one of the small halls where Vorador was entertaining some of his fledglings and dumped the large bag of shiny rocks down on the table, announcing rather dramatically that they were a tribute to the mighty Vorador, Lord of the Swamp, Master over Frogs, Insects and other such Parasites. He had meant the Parasite comment to be a double barb, both at Vorador and at vampires Vorador had roared with laughter, while those around him looked puzzled, and he'd kept the gems.

They had continued on in that vein for years while they plotted and eventually started the campaign to take back Nosgoth. There was no genuine affection between them, but a begrudging respect and an element of comfort.

Vorador had never lied to him.

Until tonight.

Umah had been captured by the Saraphan, Vorador had been concerned, even chiding Kain for being more interested in her information than her life. He'd then sent Kain to the upper city to gain entrance to the Keep via an ally who knew a secret way.

He had run this way and that across the Upper City, losing hour after hour in his pursuit of the Bishop, and then of Marcus. He'd been successful eventually he had, but the time they'd lost with that brief diversion could have cost them the information Umah held, and if Vorador was to be believed, losing Umah would be an emotional loss.

Once Marcus and his pathetic, but time-consuming, tactics had been dealt with, Kain had followed the Bishop through the tunnel. Arriving at the Keep, he watched the Bishop make a hasty retreat and entertained Vorador when he reached out to him with the Whisper. Both advising and scolding him, Kain grit his teeth, enduring the lecture. Looking around the area while he did so, Vorador's presence in his mind retreated when he'd done nagging and Kain took a proper scope of his surroundings and realised that Vorador had lied to him.

"_The entrance to the Keep is far too heavily guarded."_

He'd sent him on a wild chase through the upper city to avoid the main entrance to the Keep because the entrance was heavily guarded. Standing to the side, Kain had an unobstructed view of the main entrance.

There was one guard on patrol.

Kain waited and watched for a time, thinking perhaps this was just an oddity, that more would come, but no. No one else came, it was one guard.

Vorador had sent him on a fruitless errand through the Upper City to avoid one guard and had lied to him to get him to go. Frowning, Kain jumped down and made his way into the Keep via the small side entrance. Why would Vorador lie? He had expressed fondness and worry for Umah. He was sending Kain into an impossibly dangerous situation where the risks were fatally high, just to rescue her. He'd expressed, as had Umah, that the cabal was desperate, they needed him, Vorador was a crafty, careful creature, he would not risk Kain unless he valued Umah. So why delay her rescue? Why lie about it?

Why send Kain to the upper city? What was there?

Marcus?

Vorador had expressed disappointment that Marcus was dead, but not surprise. He'd apparently reached out to the bald vampire before to persuade him to the Cabal. So why send Kain, who did not hide his preference for violence, Vorador couldn't have hoped Kain would persuade Marcus to join the Cabal. He must have known Kain would kill him. Take out another of the Saraphan Lord's allies.

Kain shrugged to himself, he had no problem with hunting down traitors, he'd said as much to Umah when he'd woken, surely she would have told Vorador. So if Vorador wanted Marcus dead, why not just say so? Why delay Umah's rescue to get Marcus out of the picture now?

Marcus had never been one of his preferred of Vorador's brood. His favourites had been Sebastian and Magnus. They were both strong, clever and capable. The two had vied for his attention and approval, even more than they had Vorador's and it had pleased him to see the jealousy on the ancient vampire's face. Magnus had practically doted on him, throwing himself in harm's way multiple times to protect him, taking risks to show his prowess, not to mention to ridiculous levels of flirting the young vampire did.

Yet despite his favouritism towards Sebastian and Magnus, Kain had never discounted Marcus. He was a coward in the highest degree, but cowards could be useful; he was clever and slippery, able to spot opportunities that a more honest man might miss or never consider. While he didn't regret killing him, it was a waste. He would have been useful to the Cabal.

It wasn't like Vorador to give up on something that could strengthen his position, so Marcus must have been a lost cause, fit only for death. He was also reasonably powerful, so probably more than the fledglings in the Cabal could handle. It made sense for Vorador to send Kain to remove Marcus.

But why lie? Why risk Umah's safety? Just to destroy Marcus?

Kain sighed loudly and leaned against a wall, catching his breath. The Keep was a bloody maze, a maze with irritating guards dotted about. It amused Kain when he noted the guards were ever slightly more prolific in the areas where those with money might step. Perhaps Vorador had sent him via the side entrance to have him avoid the guards in the main hallways. Kain shook his head, starting forward again, it wasn't like Vorador to underestimate someone, let alone Kain, he knew well that it would take more than a few guards to overwhelm him.

Kain turned a corner and found a dead end and a guard.

Despatching the guard helped ease his frustration. Wandering all over the Keep just trying to find some bloody stairs was getting irritating. He missed his bat form. He could have just flown here prior to his defeat. Kain stopped dead in his tracks at that thought, his memory was slowly returning it seemed, he remembered being able to fly, how the Hell had he forgotten something as useful as that? Once he got a moment to rest, he'd have to recover more of his memory. Perhaps he had other previously held talents. He was sure he'd be able to, he just needed a night's peace to sit and muse on this. A thought teased at the edges of his perception, a blade, something treasured and deadly, something he felt half whole without. The fragment of memory danced on his perception for a split second before it was gone.

Absently he decapitated another guard, easing his frustration further.

This entire farce was ridiculous. He cursed and would have spat had his dignity allowed such a show of distaste. He was a formidable creature, stuck running errands for Vorador who was lying to him, for some unfathomable reason. He could do nothing but run errands at this point until his own mind stopped playing silly buggers with him and just bloody worked properly it trapped him. But trapped or not he wasn't a fool, he'd play nice for now, run Vorador's errands, rescue his children and destroy the Serefan Lord, but once his mind and his power returned maybe he'd have a little chat with Vorador and his new habit of lying.

"Finally," he hissed, coming across stairs.

**End Fic**

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